China calls for Syria peace talks participants to show sincerity

Residents inspect damage after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in Anadan city, about 10 kilometers away from the towns of Nubul and Zahraa, Northern Aleppo countryside, Syria February 3, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday urged participants in Syrian peace talks to show goodwill, after a United Nations envoy halted his attempts to conduct them after Syria's army, backed by Russian air strikes, advanced against rebel forces north of Aleppo.

Staffan de Mistura announced on Wednesday a three-week pause in the Geneva talks, the first attempt to negotiate an end to Syria's war in two years, saying they needed immediate help from the rival sides' international backers, principally the United States and Russia.